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The construction industry in most of Southeastern Europe will be bruised by the pandemic effects this year, causing a drop in construction outputs. The two exceptions are Croatia and Bulgaria where civil engineering could compensate for the losses elsewhere. Already in 2021, we are likely to see positive growth rates in all 5 countries, according to the Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association

Supernova Group has opened its fifteenth shopping centre in Croatia in the town of Požega, following an investment of €16 million. The 11,000 sqm retail park includes 16 stores and a restaurant.

Aviv Park Zrenjanin, a 25,000 sqm open-air shopping centre in the Vojvodina region of Serbia, has officially started operating under the management of BIG Shopping Centers. The new operator acquired the building earlier this year.

Cyprus-based real estate developer Everty Group intends to invest up to €100 million in Bulgaria during the next four years. The announcement follows the group's first major investment in Bulgaria, the acquisition of the 40,000 sqm Perform Business Centre in central Sofia back in 2019.

Developer MPC Properties has opened the Ušće Tower Two office building in Belgrade. The 22-storey building offers 23,200 sqm of leasable space. The developer will be seeking BREEAM certification for the property that is located in New Belgrade’s central business district.

GTC Bulgaria has informed that the varied tenant portfolio of Advance Business Center II will be enriched by Commerzbank. One of the largest German banks will lease over 3,500 sqm GLA of office space starting 1st December 2020. The pre-leasing agreement was consulted by CBRE. Advance Business Center II is under construction phase and due for delivery in Q4 2020.

The competition authorities of Poland, Hungary and Serbia have all granted consent for Optimum Ventures Private Equity Fund’s takeover of a majority shareholding (61.49%) in Globe Trade Centre S.A., a Polish company trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

SES Spar European Shopping Centers has opened Aleja Center in Ljubljana on 20 May 2020. The €150 million investment serves as a mixed-use shopping and leisure hotspot. The centre was completed in March, but, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the originally planned opening date had to be postponed. The first shops with focus on local supply opened at the beginning of May, and the entire centre is set into full operation on 20 May. The Planet Lollipop children's adventure world and part of Aleja SKY are scheduled to open at a later date.  

The Downtown One project has been awarded a LEED Precertification on the Gold level. It is the first building in Albania to be LEED precertified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The precertification process was advised by Colliers International Albania and the Colliers International Poland Green Building Advisor Team lead by Andrzej Gutowski.

In the Serbian economy, the construction industry has been one of the sectors least affected by COVID-19, with only smaller decrease recorded in production volumes and logistical capacity. The Eastern European Construction Forecasting Association has published a COVID-19 update on the construction sector of Serbia.